Jun 03, 2025
Reunion of 30 IHI generations: Successful alumni meeting
If one or the other had thought that the attempt to bring together IHI Zittau alumni from 30 graduating years, now scattered all over the world, at the location of their alma mater was doomed to failure from the outset, they were proven wrong last Wednesday: Around 90 alumni from almost all IHI "eras" from the founding phase of the 1990s to the more recent "TUD period" (from 2013) gathered at IHI Zittau on the eve of Ascension Day and then in the theater foyer to exchange ideas about their professional and private paths since graduation, to celebrate together and finally to watch the fireworks for the "Spectaculum Citaviae".
A look back: in 1993, five universities from Saxony, Poland and the Czech Republic founded a model project for joint, cross-border learning. It is therefore self-explanatory that more than 1/3 of the alumni present came from the Czech Republic and Poland. They all experienced a program of highlights from research & transfer, a photo retrospective and an alumni talk, moderated by Jeremiah Peterson from TUD alumni office. At the latter, three alumni from the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany gave very inspiring talks about the motivation and highlights of their studies at the time, but also about hurdles in their professional lives and how they successfully overcame them.
The presentation of the silver diploma certificates was an emotional highlight. IHI Director Prof. Thorsten Claus called 11 alumni to the stage who graduated around 25 years ago. These anniversary certificates were created a few years ago by the TUD Alumni Relations Office and have been very popular ever since.
"I was really overwhelmed by the great response," sums up Dr Stefanie Hanke, IHI Zittau Alumni Representative, who organized the meeting together with the TUD Alumni Relations Office. "Our intention was to bring IHI Zittau graduates back together here on site and to spend a great day together, which everyone will remember for a long time to come. I am most pleased about the many emotional moments of reunion that accompanied us throughout the day."
Incidentally, "celebrities" were also spotted in the group - including Zittau Mayor Thomas Zenker and Görlitz District Administrator Dr. Stephan Meyer, both IHI alumni...
In his welcoming address, Mayor Zenker encouraged the IHI to continue to play a role in society as a whole in the Zittau area, because it is the diversity that is lived and the will to shape things that represents real added value for the region.